Director of the Center for Multicultural Life

Director of the Center for Multicultural Life

Posting Number S01614JP

Department Inclusion and Diversity in Student Affairs

Job Summary

The Director of the Center for Multicultural Life ( CML ) leads an growing center that contributes to Bowdoin’s commitment to its multicultural students. The Director sets multi-year direction, goals, and assessment for the CML , and designs signature community building and celebratory programming — including heritage month observances — that serves students from historically underrepresented backgrounds while engaging the full campus. The Director supervises the Assistant Director of the CML and the Center’s student employees, manages the Center’s budgets, and assists in stewarding the Russwurm African American Center together alongside alumni, faculty, and community partners.

The Director is one of several center directors based in Ladd House and works as a peer alongside colleagues in the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center, the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and THRIVE to realize the shared vision for Ladd as an affirming, intersectional cultural center for students. This position calls for sound judgment, and demonstrated skill in supporting students across the full range of backgrounds and identities at Bowdoin.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Strategic leadership, vision, and assessment: Set and steward multi-year direction for the Center for Multicultural Life — annual and multi-year goals, priorities, and a program calendar that carries forward from year to year. Represent the CML in divisional and College planning.

• Signature and educational programming: Design and deliver the Center’s signature programming, including heritage month observances and the events that anchor the CML’s year, giving students opportunities for celebration, community building, learning, and connection.

• Supervision and staff development: Supervise, mentor, and evaluate the Assistant Director of the Center for Multicultural Life. Hire, train, and supervise the Center’s student staff and ambassadors, partnering with the Office of Student Leadership Development to build their professional and leadership skills.

• Collaboration and partnership across campus and in Ladd House: Partner with academic departments and programs — Africana Studies and allied fields in particular — on co-sponsored programming, curricular connections, and faculty engagement.

• Budget, operations, and College citizenship: Manage the program and operating budgets for the Center for Multicultural Life.

The hiring range for this position is expected to be: $ $78,500 – 87,500 annually.

This is an 11-month position.

BENEFITS AND PERKS

• A variety of health insurance plans (Medical, Vision, Dental)

• Generous Retirement Plan – 401(a) and 403(b)

• Life and Disability Insurance

• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per calendar year, 12 days of personal/sick time

• Paid Holidays and Special Days Off: https://www.bowdoin.edu/hr/our-workplace/college-holidays-and-special-days-off.html

• Paid Parental Leave (Available after one year of service)

• Household access to many of the College’s facilities including the gym and pool

• Free fitness and wellness classes!

• And more: https://www.bowdoin.edu/hr/benefits-perks/index.html

Education/Skills Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a related field preferred.

• Strong leadership and strategic planning skills, with the ability to establish priorities, translate vision into actionable goals, and assess outcomes to strengthen programs and services.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to build trusting relationships and communicate effectively with students, faculty, staff, senior leaders, alumni, and external partners.

• Demonstrated cultural humility and intercultural competency, with the ability to support and engage students across a broad range of backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.

• Strong program development, assessment, and administrative skills, including the ability to design and evaluate educational and community-building programs, use data to inform decisions, and effectively manage budgets and resources.

• Collaborative, well organized, and experienced in advising, program planning, and evaluation.

Experience Requirements and/or Equivalents

4-7 years experience in a similar role required. 7+ year experience preferred.

A minimum of three years of experience working with broadly diverse cohorts of students in an educational setting is also required.

• Demonstrated success supporting and advising students from a range of backgrounds and identities, including students of color, first-generation students, and students from low-income backgrounds, preferably within a residential college or university environment.

• Proven ability to develop, implement, and assess programs and initiatives that foster student learning, community building, belonging, and engagement for identity-specific and campus-wide audiences.

• A record of effectively supervising, mentoring, and developing professional and/or student staff, including hiring, performance management, goal setting, and professional development.

• Success building collaborative relationships across an organization and navigating complex or sensitive situations with sound judgment, discretion, empathy, and steadiness, including supporting students in distress and connecting them with appropriate resources.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications in this posting to be considered for hire.

Standard Work Days and Hours

Administrative office hours are 8:30am-5:00pm. This is a full-time position working 40 hours/48 weeks, (0.92 FTE ) with evening or weekends as required. This is an exempt level position that requires the time commitment to complete the essential duties of the position.

This is an on-site role, and candidates must be able to work in person on Bowdoin College Campus in Brunswick, Maine.

We regret that Bowdoin College is unable to provide visa sponsorship for staff positions.

Employment at Bowdoin College is contingent upon satisfactory completion of applicable background checks including but not limited to: criminal records, educational verifications, driving records (when job-related), and/or credit history (when job related).

About Bowdoin

Bowdoin embraces diversity in all forms, and the College is home to talented students, faculty and staff—with a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; religious beliefs; and gender identities, among other factors.

We encourage applications from candidates committed to the support of an inclusive campus community and those who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity. We value a community in which individuals of all backgrounds are warmly welcomed and encouraged to succeed.

Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin’s reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine.

Bowdoin’s campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston.

Shift

Employment Category Full Time Year Round

FTE 0.92

Benefits Eligible Yes

Pay Type Salaried

Background Check Package Requirements Faculty/Administrative

Is driving a vehicle (e.g. Bowdoin vehicle or off road vehicle, rental car, personal car) an essential function of this job? No

Is a pre-placement physical required for this position? No

Posting Date 09/29/2026

Applications Accepted Until

Open Until Filled No

Type of Posting Internal/External

Special Instructions to Applicants

If selected as a finalist, you will be required to submit information for three references, including name, email address, phone number and how you know the reference.

EEO Information

Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses.

Supplemental Questions